National Hockey League (NHL) - Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) has an iPad, dry sense of humour and better command of the English language. If his game matches the grasp of technology and delivery of one-liners, then the Russian winger might upstage the show he put on one year ago. (The Province article by Ben Kuzma) READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - And on the third-to-last-day before training camp, all was quiet Tuesday in Vancouver for the Canucks. No one resigned as captain. No prospect failed a medical. No more veterans arrived, greeted by the media blast furnace. Nobody held a news conference. Reporters were losing interest, their numbers thinned by prospects camp in Penticton and the Ricky Foley football fiasco. But for Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks), Tuesday was simply as quiet as all the other days he has been skating with potential teammates at Rogers Arena. He came, he skated, he left. But not before a writer finally asked to speak with him. READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) has no plans to abandon his dream.
There are sure to be lucrative offers for the skilled forward to return to Russia and play in the Kontinental Hockey League, but Shirokov is still planning on being in North America next fall.
“Next year I’ll go back to training camp in Vancouver and then we’ll see what we’re doing,” said Shirokov, a 24-year-old from Moscow. “If they send me back down, I’ll go to Winnipeg to play and work hard. I want to play in the NHL.” (Winnipeg Sun article by Ken Wiebe) READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - It is one thing to spend your life chasing a long shot like playing in the NHL. It is quite another thing to gamble a half-million dollars of your own money that you can pull it off.
Welcome to the high-stakes world of 23-year-old Manitoba Moose sniper Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks), who has wagered just such a proposition on his hockey abilities this winter. (Winnipeg Free Press article by Paul Wiecek) READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - Russian rookie Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) has been the most dynamic newcomer in camp for the Vancouver Canucks.
The 23-year-old, who had 17 goals and 41 points for CSKA Moscow of Russia’s Continental Hockey League (KHL) last season, had two goals and two assists in two pre-season games with the Canucks before getting sidelined with a knee injury.
Andrey Osadchenko, a Russian hockey writer enrolled in journalism at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, recently sat down with Shirokov for a one-on-one interview. (Vancouver Sun article by Andrei Osadchenko) READ MORE

National Hockey League (NHL) - Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) sought out a pair of former teammates before leaving a front-line role in his native Russia to start over as a Vancouver Canucks prospect. The advice he received from Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) and Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), both onetime linemates during a junior career that produced 13 points in 12 games at two world championships, was simple. "Go. Try. You'll be happy and successful," Shirokov said with translation help from the Canucks' amateur Russian scout, Sergei Chibisov. (Globe and Mail article by KEVIN WOODLEY)
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National Hockey League (NHL) - After all the buzz created by the last statements by Mike Gillis, who declared that they are very close to sign a deal with one of their three Russian prospects, a strange situation arisen as Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) announced that he wanted to leave CSKA, setting up a legal battle, which is now history after the KHL disqualified him for one year, thus freeing him in his way towards the NHL. (exclusive russianprospects.com article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

I'm leaving for the NHL with a clean conscience, I always dreamed to play in the world's strongest league. There are no resentments with CSKA, before the session I had a talk with head coach Sergei Nemchinov and we understood each other. I will soon leave to take part to Vancouver's development camp.

National Hockey League (NHL) - In another court meeting Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche) and Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) have been threatened a 1-year disqualification for the two players in case they won’t report to their alma mater club (CSKA Moscow) by 12 AM of August 12th. In July they didn't report to the team's training camp asking for a better contract and now they are linked to their respective NHL clubs. This analysis contains interviews to the two players and their agent. (exclusive russianprospects.com article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) - After the court ruled them as CSKA property only yesterday, the fate of Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) and Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche) is still unsure. The players' agent Sergei Paremuzov declared that his clients "don't want to play for the CSKA and won't play. I don't know what will happen now."

Continental Hockey League (KHL) - In one of the last regular season matches, CSKA skated easily over Atlant in Mytischi running away in the third period after being still tied at two after the first two periods. Ray Emery, back in the lineup after his incident with the Atlant’s trainer, hasn’t played his best game, while the same can’t be said about his direct opponent Jussi Markkanen (Edmonton Oilers) (Edmonton Oilers), who has been solid throughout the whole game. Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche) and Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) have been instrumental in the Red Army victory. (game report by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

As reported by Torpedo’s official site, Vancouver Canucks prospect Ilya Kablukov (Vancouver Canucks) will spend the next season with KHL team Torpedo Nizhniy Novgorod. During the last season with CSKA Moscow, the young center has been respectively productive in his first full professional season with HC CSKA, earning seventeen points (5 goals and 12 assists) in fifty-six games, playing mostly on Bykov team’s third line with Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) and Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche). He was also called to represent Russia in the World Junior Championship, but had some visa troubles that kept him off the team. Torpedo is having some success in the transfer market, having signed Alexei Kharitonov and Alexei Troschinsky from Dynamo Moscow, Aleksandr Boykov from Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Mikhail Tyulyapkin from Ak Bars Kazan. It is also rumoured that Artem Chubarov (Vancouver Canucks) may also join the team soon.

Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) wore this #52 away jersey during the 2005-06 season, his break-out rookie year. The jersey features a sewed on name plate, as well as the Russian Hockey Federation patch sewed on the back. There are marks and wear on the left sleeve of the jersey, as well as the front body. READ MORE

Super League - Young 17 year old Kirill Petrov delivered a truly impressive performance for HC Ak Bars, assisting on three of the team’s five goals. HC CSKA continues to roll with an important victory over HC Avangard. Alexander Svitov (Columbus Blue Jackets), Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) and Nikita Nikitin (St. Louis Blues) all scored their first goals of the season in this contest. Alexander Perezhogin (Montreal Canadiens) finally gets on the board in Salavat’s victory over SKA. Semen Varlamov (Washington Capitals) continues to be the back up, as Yegor Podomatsky delivers another impressive outing and a victory for HC Lokomotiv. READ MORE

Russian Super League - Prospect Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks) scored his 16th of the season for HC CSKA, putting in the insurance goal against surging HC Metallurg Nk. Sergei Mozyakin (Columbus Blue Jackets) had another strong game despite his struggling club losing 4:5 to top HC Ak Bars. The young prospect scored his 23rd and 24th goals of the season, also adding an assist. HC Lokomotiv finally won after a couple of trip ups, though in this contest coach Gardner gave Semen Varlamov (Washington Capitals) a break, letting veteran Yegor Podomatsky take the spot between the pipes. Denis Kulyash (Nashville Predators) returned to HC Dynamo’s lineup after being demoted for several contests. A defenseman known for his booming shot has struggled to find his scoring touch and his strong play this season. He did score his third tally of the season and made most of this chance. READ MORE

Russian Super League - HC Lokomotiv rolled as Alexei Mikhnov (Edmonton Oilers) and Ivan Nepriayev (Washington Capitals) each scored twice in the club’s 6:1 victory against HC Metallurg. Semen Varlamov (Washington Capitals) was in net for the Yaroslavl based club and also performed well, stopping 20 of the 21 faced shots. Losing to HC Avangard 2:3 did not stop CSKA’s Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche) from shining, as the young forward scored both of his club’s goals, with his Parshin READ MORE

Russian Super League - Alexei Shkotov (St. Louis Blues) has been put on waivers by HC Khimik reportedly over an apparent disagreement between the young player and the club’s coaching staff. The young forward lead the club last year in +/-, but the club’s defensive style likely had to do with his departure from Mytische. Reportedly, several clubs are interested in the player, though the best offer appears to be coming from the wealthy HC Ak Bars.

Russian Super League - An analysis of how and why young Russian forward prospects Denis Parshin (Colorado Avalanche), Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators), and Sergei Shirokov (Vancouver Canucks), as well as defensemen Kiril Lyamin (Ottawa Senators) and Anton Belov have developed into HC CSKA's leaders. READ MORE

Analysis of the first 9 Russian players taken in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The list of analyzed players includes talented forwards Sergei Shirokov and Alexander Bumagin), as well as the highly rated but surprisingly fallen potential power forward Andrei Popov. READ MORE

2004 NHL ENTRY DRAFTRank 1: #24 Rank 2: #26 2005 NHL ENTRY DRAFTRank 1: #24 Rank 2: #26 Rank 3: #23 Ranking Comments:Shirokov is playing very well for CSKA 2. If not for the club's offensive depth, he would have already been playing for CSKA in the Super League (Russia 1). If Shirokov can break through to the Super League, or enjoy a solid '85 U20 tournament, look for him to jump in the ratings. Rank 4: #22 2006 NHL ENTRY DRAFTRank 1: #28 Rank 2: #18 Ranking Comments:Sergei Shirokov has matured this season and become a full fledged Super League caliber player. Still, despite his achievements in the Super League and internationally, the young forward's only drawback remains his relatively low upside. He may potentially fit the role of a supporting cast in the NHL and may develop into another Sergei Mozyakin which is still saying a lot. Rank 3: #12 Ranking Comments:Why this player wasn't picked at the past two NHL Entry Drafts is a mystery. This is especially the case after his impressive performance at the 2005 U20 World Junior Championships. We remain very high on this young prospect and believe he has a bright future wherever he ends up playing hockey. This season he further strengthened his case by finally making a successful Super League debut. The young prospect has been a great presence at the international level for several seasons, but his strong play against professional players in the Super League really kept him on the prospect radar. Shirokov was an impact player with CSKA and meshed well together on the same line with St. Louis Blues prospect Konstantin Lemtyugov. Shirokov can be described as a "poor man's" Sergei Samsonov. He is not very tall, but well built and that really helps him when fighting in traffic and at the boards. While he is an overage player at 20 years of age, Shirokov performed better than a lot of 18 year olds at the same age, but was inexplicably not drafted.

2003-04 Season Recap (Premium Content):

2004 U20 4 Nations Tournament (Sept. 2004 Czech Republic) an above-average skater who doesn't quit moving his feet...strong bursts
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Talent Analysis:

Skating: A very good skater with impressive top speed and above-average
acceleration. Shot: Possesses an above-average wrist shot...likes
to shoot the puck. Technical Ability: A technical forward, he
handles the puck well and can create great scoring chances with a little bit of
open room. Passing: A team player, who interacts well with his
linemates...a multi-dimensional player, who can dish out a pass, as well as
receive a feed for a scoring chance. Hockey Sense: Sees the ice
well, and understands where the puck needs to be for his line mates...on the
national team, played very well with Enver Lisin. Defensive Play: Not
a significant factor in his own zone...although not very big, he is capable,
however, of causing turnovers with his stickwork and then turning on his wheels
for a breakaway. Physical Game: At just under 5’10 and
160 pounds, Shirokov does not possess an imposing frame...accordingly, he
often looks weak on the ice when trying to compete with bigger opponents...there
were quite a few chances where he would almost have a breakaway, only to be brought
down at the last second by a stronger defenseman...as it is unlikely that
he will grow much more, Shirokov needs to improve his strength and bulk up. Intangibles:
Had a bit of a mean streak at times and tended to hold grudges with certain players,
trying to pick a fight at every opportunity. Overall: In most
aspects of his game, Shirokov is a bigger version of his diminutive-but-talented
teammate Denis Parshin. He possesses a bit more speed than Parshin and has the
same ability to share the puck or finish a combination play. As with Parshin,
Shirokov’s downside lies largely in his size.

Back In Russia:

Shirokov is a product of the CSKA Moscow hockey school. 2003-04 season:
Shirokov spent the entire season with CSKA Moscow’s junior farm club, CSKA
2. He enjoyed a very productive season, finishing as one of the club’s top
forwards. He spent a large part of the year on the same line with Dmitri Shitikov,
and had a lot to do with Shitikov’s scoring. During the summer of ’03,
he became a regular on Russia’s national team. He first skated on the fourth
line, but was moved up to the third unit with Enver Lisin and Alexander Plyuschev,
where he spent the next three tournaments including the U18 WJC. Below, please
find Sergei Shirokov’s international tournament reviews. 2002-03
season: Shirokov spent the season with CSKA hockey school’s ’86
squad. He played on the second line with formerly highly-touted prospect, Nikolai
Lemtyugov. The two were very effective together and finished very high atop CSKA

NHL Outlook:

Sergei Shirokov is eligible for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. His stock has been on the rise throughout the 2003-04 season, as he enjoyed a successful season with CSKA 2 and played well on the U18 national team. While he did not enjoy a very productive U18 WJC, he did show off a lot of his ability, including his impressive puckhandling and speed. Shirokov is not one of Russia’s top prospects, but is well deserving of a third or fourth-round selection. After Anton Dubinin (’85) and Denis Parshin (’86), Sergei Shirokov is the most ready young forward with CSKA Moscow, and looks to make his Super League debut early during the 2004-05 season. RussianProspects Draft Projection: third - fourth round selection